But this conference was not just about listening, it was also about talking and discussing pressing issues such as insecticide safety and habitat conservation. As you can imagine with such a diverse group of people with so many perspectives sometimes we talked louder than others. But that was the fun and enlightening part that made the conference unique.

Folks studying bee conservation had dinner with folks from agrochemical companies. Extension folks trying to find real-world pest management solutions had beers with beekeepers and conservationists. I doubt most of these interactions would have ever happened without this conference.

Well, the conference will return October 9-11, 2017 as the 2nd national conference on Protecting Pollinators in Urban Landscapes. This time in beautiful Traverse City, Michigan. We are still building the program so consider this a save the date. However, you can check out the program from last time to see the diversity of topics and quality of the speakers. If you really want to get out of your (research, conservation, extension, industry, beekeeper) bubble to hear and discuss the state of the art on a range of topics this is the conference for you.